No, we are not selfish - co-operation is at the heart of our existence

We are born selfish. Self-interest is the actuating force for economic activity. Without the rules and laws, sanctions and taxes of the state, we would descend into a war of all against all. Evolutionary science and political economy - from Adam Smith and Thomas Hobbes, to Milton Friedman and Richard Dawkins - tell us selfishness is our default mode.